Tehran has warned it will target British forces in the Chagos Islands if Donald Trump follows through on his threat to attack Iran, it has been reported.
A security official from the Middle Easten country told the Telegraph there will “be no distinction in targeting British or American forces” if the islands—currently being handed over by Britain to Mauritius—are used in an attack against Iran.
The threat from Tehran follows warnings by the US president of potential military action against Iran if the regime fails to comply with a new deal over its nuclear programme.
Mr Trump reportedly sent a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, seeking to negotiate a deal after having withdrawn from a previous nuclear agreement struck by his predecessor Barack Obama, which he described as “decaying and rotting”.
In an interview with Fox, Trump threatened military action, saying: “The alternative is we have to do something because you can’t let [Iran] have a nuclear weapon.
“I’ve written them a letter, saying I hope you’re going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily it’s going to be a terrible thing for them.
“You can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.”
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It has been reported that the US-UK naval base at Diego Garcia, part of the Chagos Islands, could become the target of Iranian retaliation.
“There will be no distinction in targeting British or American forces if Iran is attacked from any base in the region or within the range of Iranian missiles,” a senior Iranian military official told The Telegraph on Sunday.
“When the time comes, it won’t matter whether you’re an American, British, or Turkish soldier – you will be targeted if your base is used by Americans.”
Iran previously responded to the US withdrawal from the nuclear agreement by carrying out attacks at sea—including one that disrupted Saudi Arabia’s oil production.
Iran now claims it has the military capability to target the Chagos Islands directly from its mainland. The islands are located south of India and east of Africa, approximately 4,717 km from Tehran.
The Iranian military spokesman added: “Iran possesses adequate weapons for such an attack from its mainland, such as newer versions of the Khorramshahr missile that have an intermediate range, and the Shahed-136B kamikaze drone with a range of 4,000km [2,485 miles].”
It is believed the weapons would be within range if launched from southern Iran.
Diego Garcia has served as a joint US-UK naval base since the 1970s, with approximately 4,000 service personnel and civilian contractors still stationed there.
A British government spokesman said: “We condemn these threats in the strongest terms. The UK Government continues to work with partners across the region to encourage de-escalation. The base on Diego Garcia is vital to UK and US security and plays a crucial role in maintaining regional and international security.”
